by Clark Graham
Sarchise heard footsteps behind him. When he turned, he saw Fawn coming up the passageway.
“They told me that you spent a lot of time up here. That is why they put me in the living quarters next to yours. I guess they figured that I would like the fresh air also,” she said.
She looked radiant in the red glow of the morning. “Hello,” was all he said.
“You didn’t attend the party last night. King Mortimur looked for you but Cazz explained that you were completely exhausted after your long march. He seemed to understand,” she said as she sat down on the stone bench across from him.
“How did King Mortimur enjoy his feast?” Sarchise asked.
“He got slovenly drunk and passed out, so you know he had a wonderful time,” she replied.
“Sounds familiar,” Sarchise responded. “What are you doing up so early?”
“I have some dispatches to deliver to the fort a little later on. Besides looking at the world passing by, what do you do up here normally?” she asked.
Sarchise thought about all of the times Ammlee and he had talked as they sat up there. The things they would plan for the children’s future. Now it was going to be a future without their mother. Sarchise got a sad look in his eyes and he hung his head down.
Fawn realized that she had hit a nerve and walked over and sat down next to Sarchise and put her arms around him. “Dwarves don’t let one grieve enough. They think they honor their dead by living, but sometimes you just need to be sad.”
Sarchise could not hold it in any longer; to have someone who understood hold him was just too much, he sobbed softly as he held Fawn tight.
All too soon the moment was broken by the sounds of heavy boots coming up the passageway. Fawn let him go and slid over a little, while Sarchise dried his eyes. King Cazz and Hemlot burst through the archway and out onto the guard post, "Ah there are my two favorite fresh air breathers," Cazz said.
Fawn stood up. "I was going to deliver your packets to the fort early; I was just enjoying the view for a moment."
The King looked at her, "I have already sent a runner. I have another, more important thing for you to do."
Ride of the Valkyrie
“Yes, Sir,” Fawn said to the king.
“We need to end this Human insurrection before we get drawn into it again,” the king said. “I want you to venture down to the Middle Kingdom and find a man named Feldinor. Bring him back to the fort on the plains of Zor. I am going to negotiate peace between him and the King of Ril.”
“I will,” she said. She gave Sarchise one last glance and then made her way down to the horses.
After saddling up she rode out. The day was clear and bright without a hint of cold in the air. Summer was upon them and it was going to be warm. As she rode by the camp of King Mortimur she got a few stares from the soldiers standing there. They had not expected to see a beautiful woman ride out from a Kingdom of the Dwarves. She made good speed through the day and arrived at the fort before sundown. The gate swung open at her approach and she rode inside. Oswin had seen her frequently since she had become the messenger for the Dwarves. She made the fort her first stop.
“Hello, Fawn, again do you have messages for me?”hHe asked.
“Not this time; is Tannic still here?”
“No, he has already left for the crossroads. He said we can find him at the tavern in the evenings or mornings. He will stop by there often to see if we need him,” Oswin replied.
“Very good, I will need some grain and water for the horse, as usual,” she said.
Oswin motioned to one of his men and he grabbed the horse's reigns and led it away. She walked into the hut that they kept for her. It only had a table and a bed, but that was enough for her liking. Soon the cook knocked on the door. He had brought her stew and bread to eat. The Dwarves were not all that fond of stews and soups, so she had had to teach one of the cooks how to make it. He always brought it to her when she stayed at the fort. After she had eaten her dinner, it felt warm and nice and made her feel satisfied. The bed was basic but comfortable and she slept well.
Her horse was waiting for her after she finished her breakfast the next morning. For having no knowledge of horses, the Dwarves cared for hers very well. The gates opened and she headed out towards the Lost City. She did not push the horse as this day, as she knew she could make the distance easily in one day. She never questioned the king on her mission, though she wondered what would motivate this man to come with her if she were able to find him. Of all the assignments the Dwarves had given her, this one was going to be the most difficult.
The walls of the Lost City were silhouetted in the setting sun as she rode up. The guard trumpeted a horn and the gates swung open to let her in.
Alidia was there to great her, “Welcome to the Lost City, Fawn.”
“You are talking to me? I only thought to get a place to stay the night,” Fawn said.
“The Queen has declared that you no longer to be shunned. She wants you to come back home to the Hidden City and not be a messenger for the Dwarves anymore. She has sent out a dozen ponies for the Dwarves to ride and deliver their own messages. I will take them to the mountains in a few days,” Alidia said.
“I will take them on my way back. First I need some help. I need some of your people to come with me to the Middle Kingdom. I would feel safer with two or three. Some of those areas are full of bandits and highwaymen,” Fawn replied.
“I will go with you and bring two more besides. I have not been on a good ride since my injury and it is time that I got out,” replied Alidia.
“Very well, I thank you, I will meet you by the gate in the morning,” Fawn said.
Fawn went down the street and noticed that the Valkyrie had reopened an Inn. Slowly they were reclaiming and reopening the buildings of the city. Their population was now much less than it had been during the time before they were driven out. It was also now divided between two cities. As long as the Queen lived in one and most of the people lived in the other, it would continue to be split. Fawn walked into the Inn. There were tables with bread and cheese on them. Kettles of soup were on the stove near the wall. The Innkeeper greeted her as she walked in.
“Greetings, Fawn it is so good to see you.”
“Who is all this food for?” Fawn asked.
“We have just opened the Inn and a group of people are coming to try it out, but there is plenty of food for you too,” said the Innkeeper.
Fawn helped herself to a bowl and ladled soup into it. Soon she was joined by about two dozen of her kinsmen. She had almost forgotten now nice the fellowship of the Valkyrie was. She ate and drank and talked way into the night with her old and new-found friends.
Fawn made her way to one of the newly remodeled rooms at the Inn. She noticed how wonderful the architecture had been when the Dwarves first built the city. The original stonework had been left untouched, but the bed and mattress were new and so was the colorful rug on the floor.
In the morning she met Alidia by the gates. The two others that had come along were Swan and Edda. Edda was thin and had shoulder length blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Swan was young erand shorter, but had hair that was white and was down to her waist. Swan’s family had all had white hair from generation to generation. It made Fawn think of the Dwarves that had been touched by the Ghouls but not killed. Their hair had all turned white. She wondered if the same thing had happened to one of Swan’s ancestors. The four of them had brought with them an extra horse for Feldinor to ride if they could find him and persuade him to come back with them.
When the gate opened the four Valkyrie rode out.
They avoided the King’s road whenever possible. It had become more and more dangerous to travel the road now that the king had withdrawn some of his forces back to bolster his army against a possible campaign to the lower kingdoms. That made the going that much slower. When they camped that first night, they did so in a small ravine away from prying eyes of any passerbys. Each one of the
m took turns watching the camp. Then they headed out again. This second day they pushed the horses a little harder to get northeast of the Westwood during the next night. Again the four of them took turns watching. They were more exposed this night as the plains were flat and there were no ravines to hide in.
Halfway through the night, Fawn woke Alidia to take her place. “It’s your watch,” she said.
Alidia got up out of her bedroll and stretched, “Feels like I barely went to sleep.”
“How is your old wound? Fawn asked.
“It aches on cold nights, but it has healed well.”
“You fought bravely that day,” Fawn said.
Alidia paused for a minute and then asked, “Why did you risk getting banished over Sarchise? He is just a man.”
“They are all just men, but he defied me at first, then I learned to respect him. He was a presence of spirit that I did not see in the Tavern scum I often encounter on my trips.”
“I still don’t understand, but get some sleep, I will wake you at the first sign of trouble,” Alidia said.
A Meeting at the Tavern
The night passed uneventfully and the four were riding hard for the crossroads at first light. When they reached the town, the horses were hungry and so were the riders, so they stopped and the Tavern of the Crossroads. Fawn went inside to get some rooms while the others tended the horses.
The old Inn keeper recognized her as she walked in. He naturally thought that she was Sarchise’s girl, "Hello there, did you bring my friend Sarchise with you?”
“Not this time. I need two rooms,” she said. .
Just then a man grabbed her from behind and picked her up, “You don’t need a room, I will let you share mine. It will be a night you won’t forget.”
The man suddenly stopped talking when he felt the tip of a sword poking him in his back. “Let her go,” Tannic said, “Fawn here has friends.”
The man dropped her, but that wasn’t the end of it, as soon as Fawn was on the ground, she kicked him in the shin. He grabbed his shin, then she hit him in the stomach, and after he doubled over in pain, she clobbered him in the jaw, knocking him out. He hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
The Innkeeper rang the bell and the servant boy came running in. “Take this garbage out will you?” he said, pointing to the man. They boy grabbed the man by his ankles and started dragging him out the back door.
“I knew you can handle the situation as I saw that you already had your hand on your dagger, but I thought that killing him might of caused an inquest, and that would have delayed your journey,” Tannic said. “I have a table, won’t you join me?”
“I would love to,” she said and they both made their way to his table and sat down.
Just then the other three Valkyrie came in the door in time to see the man getting dragged out. They looked over at Fawn sitting with a man and went to join them.
“Tell me, have you any news since the last time I have seen you?” Fawn asked.
"There is a group of men that have organized a new government in this part of the land. They are from the Middle Kingdom and the Kingdom of Myr. They have decided that there should be no king in this part of the land and have caught and killed many of those low royals who have come into the land to claim the kingdoms.
"They call themselves the men of liberty, and have sent a letter to King Mortimur declaring independence from his rule. That did not expect him to react since he forefathers have never ruled over these lands. When they found out that the king had mobilized his armies and that he was on his way down, they supposed that they might still be able to fight long enough to persuade the king to give up. They knew they could not win outright, but that they could draw out the war a long time.
"Then King Mortimur didn't come down on them as they now supposed that he would, but he went into the land of the Dwarf. He is there still. They had hoped that the Dwarve would not get involved in the wars of men. If Dwarf now allies himself with King Mortimur's armies then all is hopeless and they will all be marched into the Kingdom of Ril to be executed.
"There is great fear in this land about what the Dwarf is going to do," Tannic finished off.
"King Cazz has asked me to bring Feldinor to the fort on the planes of Zor. He has spoken with King Mortimur and is willing to serve as an intermediary for peace. Do you know where we can find this man?" Fawn asked.
"I do, as he is here at the city of the crossroads. We grew up together, even though we were not fast friends, we do know each other. You had better let me do the talking; he will not trust outsiders," Tannic said.
“We will meet you in the morning here for breakfast and then go see this Feldinor,” Fawn said.
“Very well, until morning then,” Tannic replied.
After dinner they went to their rooms for the night. Fawn was in the same room that she and Sarchise had stayed in. It brought back memories.
At breakfast the next day, Tannic was down in the tavern waiting for them. She could see by his eyes and the way he moved that the battleaxe scar still bothered him. She didn’t fully trust him, having only seen him a few times during her brief visits to the fort in the plains of Zor, but his helping her the night before had increased that trust.
The five of them ate a good breakfast and then walked into the town to find Feldinor. The Humans had been busy building defenses around the town square. They had piled furniture and old wagons in the middle of the streets. All of the first story windows had been boarded over and archer slits built into the second story windows. The men at the barricade were nervous when the four Valkyrie arrived, so Tannic was the only one to walk forward, leaving the Valkyrie out of arrow shot range.
Tannic marched right up and stopped in front of the barricade. “I am here to see Feldinor.”
The man on the other side of the barricade paused, looked again at the Valkyrie and then turned to get Feldinor.
When Feldinor arrived at the gate he saw Tannic standing there, then looked off in the distance at the women. “Are the Valkyrie going to attack me too, or are they spies looking at my lousy defenses and going back to report how weak we are?”
“Neither, Governor,“ Tannic assured him. “I met them at the tavern. They have come to take you to King Cazz of the Dwarves. He serves as an intermediary between you and King Mortimur. Will you not go with them?”
Feldinor looked stunned, that was not what he was expecting at all. He had to think long and hard about that, “Is it a trap? If Mortimur captures me he will behead me, but it will not stop our quest for freedom. My lieutenants will take over the cause. I have over a thousand men. ”
“Governor,” Tannic went on, “King Mortimur knows this. He does not want the kind of bloodshed that will happen if he attacks you. You also have a chance to stop this war before it starts. Just listen to what the Dwarf King has to say. He wants to repay us Humans for the Kings of old negotiating an end to their war with the Elves. If you do not like his terms then the Valkyrie will bring you back and you can fight your war.”
The Ride of Feldinor
Feldinor looked long and hard at Fawn and her companions. “I will not upset the Dwarves or their allies the Valkyrie, I will come with them.” He then turned to one of his lieutenants and said, “You are in charge until I get back. If I don’t return, remember the cause. I will take five men with me.” He then motioned for four men to come with him.
The Lieutenant nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”
“Where is your fifth man?” asked Tannic.
“You are. You got me into this; if I am going to be decapitated, I want you there also,” Feldinor said.
Feldinor and his men then climbed over the barricade and Tannic led him to the awaiting Valkyrie.
When he walked to where the women were standing he said, "My men and I will join you.”
Fawn looked at the assembled group and said, “We were only planning on bringing one back. you will have to double up on the horses and it will slow us down.”
/> “So be it,” Feldinor said.
The group then walked back to the Inn, where the horses were. They had been kept in an old stable that the Inn mostly used for storage. It had been built when horses were abundant in the land. After they paid the old Innkeeper they all saddled up and rode off. Tannic and Feldinor were put on the extra horse and Alidia took the reins and led their horse along, as neither man had ever ridden before.
They rode the whole day, only stopping for a brief respite at midday. Feldinor and his men were glad to get off the horses for the night as they were getting a little sore. They were not used to riding. Now having a large number with them, Fawn did not fear to follow the King’s road, so instead of taking more time with the large group, they were saving time, because the road was so much easier on the horses. They still camped a little off the road, as to not be surprised by night.
The women took turn at the watch, keeping an eye both outside and inside the camp.
When it was Fawn’s turn for the watch, she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She instinctively put her hand on the hilt of her dagger and turned around to see who was behind her. It was Feldinor and he simply put both hands in the air to signal that he was not a threat.
“I couldn’t sleep, I just want to talk,” he said.
Fawn relaxed her hand and motioned him forward.
“Why are you helping the Dwarves?” he asked.
“The Dwarves protected us when the Elves wanted us dead. They built us both the Lost City and when we had to flee that, they built us the Hidden City. The Dwarves hid us so well no one knew we still existed for many years.”